把BMW330卖了换成CHRYSLER 300 SRT-8,1000公里驾驶体会 [复制链接]

330toSRT8
Member


Car: 2006 300C
Trim: SRT-8
Join Date: Dec 2005
Member Number: 4189
Location: Monterey, CA 600 miles after trading in 330ci

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Ok, here are my thoughts 600 miles after trading in the 330ci.

I got the SRT for $43k, which is what my 330ci cost with premium package, sport package, 18” rims, Xenon headlights, and upgraded stereo back in 2002. The SRT is a fantastic value. I test drove the Jaguar S-Type R, which seemed to be in the same class but was $65k. Also test drove an ’05 CTS-V that was offered for $5k under MSRP (so ended up at $47k), but I preferred the looks of the SRT and it’s roomier inside.

The power difference is unbelievable! I thought my 330ci was quick but the SRT-8 kills it. I love stomping on the gas to get pushed into the seat. There's no need to ever go back to Magic Mountain.

We've gotten a bit of rain the last couple days and even if I barely tap the gas at a stop the tires are spinning. I know the car has tons of torque but I would expect the tires to hookup a little better in the wet. Also, a couple times it felt like the rear end slid a little when I was on a turn in the rain and not pushing it. My car has the 245 RS-As all around. The 330ci had the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 255ZR18 in back and those were excellent in the rain. Of course, the BMW was significantly lighter so maybe that’s the difference.

Once or twice I floored it and didn’t get the power surge I was expecting. Maybe I was just past the speed for a 2nd gear downshift. I haven’t disabled the TCS or ESP in an effort to avoid killing myself until I’m used to the handing of the car.

People have complained about how low the front spoiler is. It’s not lower than the 330ci with sport package. I would scrape the BMW so often that now I’m extremely cautious. Also, the underbody of the SRT is not as low as the 330ci. With the BMW I would have to come to a complete stop at speed bumps and creep over them as slow as possible to keep from bottoming out. Now I can roll over the same speed bumps with no problem.

The SRT is huge inside and out compared to the 330ci. It’s so roomy inside and my passengers really appreciate the ingress/egress. It definitely feels bigger when I’m driving and since I’ve only driven a few days I haven’t attempted to push the handling limits. But I am surprised at how flat it stays on the corners.

Downshifting (in manual mode) is nowhere near as smooth as the BMW Steptronic. Also, with the Steptronic, when I was in manual mode and I floored it, it would still shift to the next gear at redline. This one just bangs against the rev-limiter, which to me is not as good. If the tranny was actually fast enough to change gears as soon as I tapped the shifter that might be a different story.

After looking in the manual I found out the SRT comes with an alarm. That’s nice. It was extra in the 330ci. Wow, a built-in compass as well! Oh, and rain-sensing wipers that come on when it rains without doing anything extra?!! In the 330ci I would have to set the lever to the rain-sensing position and every time I restarted the car I had to move the lever out of that position and back in before it would sense the rain.

The headlights are not as good. The BMW had auto-leveling Xenon hi and low-beam that were excellent, although a $700 option. Apparently the hi-beams in the SRT are not HID because they seem to be yellowish and not very bright.

The tire pressure monitor is wonderful. My tires would get cupped in the BMW, causing annoying road noise at low speeds. I believe that was from over/under inflation and I did not check the pressure very often. I shouldn’t have that problem anymore.

I have the base stereo, which definitely doesn’t sound as good as the upgraded Harman Kardon from the BMW. On the upside, it holds six discs and plays MP3s, which is good because I was getting tired of changing discs every hour.

The SRT has much worse fuel efficiency, but that’s a fair trade-off for the phenomenal power. On the trip from LA I got 19 MPG driving moderately and flooring it once in a while only up to 80. In the 330ci the worst I got on the highway was 22 MPG flooring it constantly and consistently going over 100 MPH.

In conclusion, the SRT-8 is everything I dreamed it would be. Another good thing is my wife loves the car. She said we needed a four-door with more room and I, of course, wanted more power. I said I knew just the car! She was beside herself when I first told her I planned on trading in a BMW for a Chrysler. Everyone else we know was surprised as well, with the exception of a few car aficionados. I can’t wait to take them all for a little SRT initiation!